Two missionary Nuns from NE India decide to stay in war-torn Ukraine to serve the people

Aizawl, 4 March: Two Missionaries of Charity (MC) Nuns from Mizoram have decided to stay in war-torn Ukraine to serve the people in the midst of a full-scale invasion by Russia. 

 The two MC sisters from Mizoram in Northeast India, Sisters Rosela Nuthangi and Ann Frida have expressed their decision to stay on in Ukraine, risking their lives to serve people fleeing the war and the injured.

Mother General of the MC, Sister Prema established contact with the two nuns on 2 March, asking them to move to safer places by road. But the two preferred to remain where they are to help the people in whichever way possible. The sisters have informed their relatives of their safety in spite of the challenging times. 

Sister Rosela Nuthangi MC, daughter of (Late) David Laiawrha and (Late) Monica Lalbuangi, hails from Sihphir village. She is the second MC sister among the Mizo community. She made her first religious profession in 1984 and was sent to the then USSR as a missionary. She worked in Moscow’s St. Petersburg for 10 years. Having mastered Russian language, she also worked in Latvia, Astonovia and in 2017 she moved to Ukraine and is still serving there as a missionary sister.

Sister Ann Frida MC is daughter of (Late) Joseph Rothangpuia and Elizabeth Lalremi. She is from Mizoram’s capital city Aizawl. She made her first religious profession in 1998. After working in India for a few years, she was sent to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine and has been serving there for the last 10 years.

Appreciating the sisters for their heroic courage, Archbishop John Moolachira, the President of the North East Regional Bishops’ Council, said, “I am not surprised that two religious women Sisters of the missionaries of Charity who are working in the war-ravaged Ukraine are not leaving the country in spite of the great danger to their lives and the interest of the Govt of India to evacuate all its citizens. I am proud of them”. 

Adding what the two nuns have done is a small example of what the Church really stands for, Moolachira said, “Every consecrated person cares more for the lives and comfort of their fellow men and women than that of their own. They would consider it cowardice and unbecoming of their noble call to flee when the people under their care need their help, prayers and support the most”. 

Father Robert Faustin, a Salesian priest from Mizoram, said that the anxious relatives of these two Mizo Nuns have been in constant touch with them for the past few days. “We hope for the safety of these two heroic nuns and let us also pray that peace and normalcy return in Ukraine, Russia and rest of the world”, Father Faustin said.

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